Shows / Jacobin Radio
Jacobin Radio
News, politics, history and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Confronting Capitalism, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.
Episodes
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Chatbot Hype Versus Reality w/ Dwayne Monroe
Software engineer Dwayne Monroe exposes the reality behind the hype around ChatGPT (and the sinister implications of AI). Then Doug interviews political…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Higher Ed Crisis w/ Dennis Hogan
Featuring Dennis Hogan on the crisis in higher education. The first in a two-part series. Next up: Donna Murch and Todd Wolfson on how university workers can…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Heaven on Earth
Terrence Malick perfected his now-signature style with his rapturously beautiful second film, DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978). We discuss the film's depiction of…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Kevin Anderson on the Anti-Colonial Marx
Critics of Karl Marx claim that he was incapable of recognizing forms of oppression that aren't linked to a narrow understanding of class. Kevin Anderson…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Ethiopia's Bloody War w/ Ann Neumann
Ann Neumann, author of a recent Harper's article, discusses the bloody war in Ethiopia. Then Doug gets two views on a proposed South American currency…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: The Politics and Practice of Tenant Organizing
Featuring Shanti Singh, Tracy Rosenthal, René Moya, and Cea Weaver on the politics and practice of organizing tenants. Please donate generously to support…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Own Your Bad
A key moment in the evolution of the modern blockbuster, JURASSIC WORLD (2015) is a cynical reboot about cynical reboots. We discuss what this enormously…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: The Grassroots of Abortion Rights w/ Felicia Kornbluh
Doug is joined by Josh White, author of Goodbye United Kingdom, to discuss that country’s trajectory of decline. Then Felicia Kornbluh, author of A Woman’s…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Freedom Dreams w/ Robin D.G. Kelley
Featuring Robin D.G. Kelley on Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig and get our weekly newsletter by email…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Kristin Surak on Japan's Lost Generation
During the 1980s, Japan seemed like it might overtake the US to become the world’s largest economy. But since a property bubble burst in the early 90s, Japan…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Afghanistan Update w/ Matthieu Aikins
Doug speaks with Matthieu Aikins, author and investigative reporter, about the situation in Afghanistan with the US gone and the Taliban in control. Later…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Mondo Argumento
A misanthropic catalog of shocking images from around the world, the bizarre, unpleasant, baldly racist, and extremely influential MONDO CANE (1962) was a…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Gramsci, Organization, Crisis w/ Michael Denning
Featuring Michael Denning on Antonio Gramsci. The second of a two-part interview. Read the passages of Selections from the Prison Notebooks that Dan read to…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: The View From Nowhere
Upon its release, Steven Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000) offered something novel: a cinematic tapestry that criticized America's War on Drugs. More than 20 years…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: A Look Rightward
Emily Jashinsky of The Federalist discusses the GOP: the meaning of the speaker fight, and what is the base of the Freedom Caucus anyway? Sohrab Ahmari…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Gramsci & Hegemony w/ Michael Denning
Featuring Michael Denning on Antonio Gramsci. Part one of an expansive two-part interview. Read the passages of Selections from the Prison Notebooks that Dan…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Pepijn Brandon on Revolution in the Netherlands (Part 2)
The Dutch Revolt of the sixteenth century defeated the Spanish monarchy, the great European superpower of its day. It may not be as well remembered as the…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: California's Extreme Weather w/ Ali Meders-Knight
Today Meleiza Figueroa hosts the podcast. She talks to three guests about the historic series of winter storms that have been lashing the entire state of…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Rising Expectations
Filmed in the aftermath of the 1970 "October Crisis" that brought martial law to Canada, Gilles Groulx's radical documentary 24 HOURS OR MORE (1973) takes a…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: Remembering Mike Davis (Part 2)
Today Suzi brings part two of our tribute to Mike Davis, who died on October 25. Mike was a prolific writer, historian, political activist, urban theorist, and…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: 3rd Annual Year-in-Review Extravaganza
As we enter 2023, it's time for our annual look back on the movies that defined our podcast over the past 12 months. In our third Year-in-Review Extravaganza…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: The Capitalist Conjuncture w/ Tim Barker
Featuring historian Tim Barker on monetary politics, inflation, and the general capitalist conjuncture. The second of a two-part interview. Check out my July…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: Remembering Mike Davis (Part 1)
We pay tribute to Mike Davis, who died on October 25. Mike was a prolific writer, historian, political activist, urban theorist, and author of dozens of books…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Tech, AI, and Luddism w/ Edward Ongweso Jr
Kathryn Joyce discusses the far right and its internal battles. Doug then interviews Edward Ongweso Jr about tech, AI, and Luddism. Behind the News, hosted by…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Monetary Politics w/ Tim Barker
Featuring historian Tim Barker on the state of monetary politics amid the current fight over inflation. Check out my July 2021 interview with Barker if you…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Pepijn Brandon on Revolution in the Netherlands (Part 1)
The Dutch Revolt of the sixteenth century defeated the Spanish monarchy, the great European superpower of its day. It may not be as well remembered as the…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: House of Pelosi
The 20-year filmmaking career of Alexandra Pelosi has been building up to this moment: a hagiographic documentary portrait of her mother, the outgoing U.S…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Railroad Union Struggle w/ Ryan Grim
Doug interviews Intercept reporter Ryan Grim, author of a recent article on railroad unions, about the fight between workers and bosses in the rail industry…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: New Deal Ruins w/ Edward Goetz
Featuring Edward Goetz on his book New Deal Ruins: Race, Economic Justice, and Public Housing Policy. Goetz tells the story of American public housing and then…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: UC Strike!
Suzi talks to UAW 2865 strikers Sarah Mason and Jack Davies of UC Santa Cruz and Johnathan Guy at UC Berkeley about the UC strike, the largest strike ever in…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Musicians for Free-Range Chickens
In 1991, actor/martial artist/philosopher/current Russian special envoy to the U.S. Steven Seagal hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. The…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: Nationalist Enmity at the World Cup
Suzi joins Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa of The People’s Game podcast for a deeper look at the history and politics behind the nationalist enmities on…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: The Italian Bourgeoisie w/ Paolo Gerbaudo
Natalia Petrzela, author of Fit Nation, discusses the history of physical culture in the US. Then Doug interviews Paolo Gerbaudo on the weakness of the Italian…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Modern Housing w/ Gail Radford
Featuring Gail Radford on her classic book Modern Housing for America: Policy Struggles in the New Deal Era. Radford tells the story of Catherine Bauer, the…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Michela Wrong on Eritrea's Endless War
Eritrea’s long struggle for independence finally ended in victory three decades ago. It seemed like a fresh beginning for one of Africa’s smallest countries…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Dust Bowl Ballads
The quintessential American folk troubadour and a beloved national icon, Woody Guthrie was also a committed lefty for whom art and politics were intertwined…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Communism and Black Liberation w/ Jodi Dean
Jennifer Berkshire discusses the latest version of right-wing school politics (since the last versions haven’t been working for them). Then Doug interviews…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio: World Cup Controversy w/ David Goldblatt
Suzi talks to Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa, creators and hosts of The People’s Game podcast, to get their unique perspectives on the 2022 Qatari World Cup…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Founding Finance with William Hogeland
Astra Taylor interviews William Hogeland on his book Founding Finance: How Debt, Speculation, Foreclosures, Protests, and Crackdowns Made Us a Nation. Hogeland…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: God and Country
Released shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Howard Hawks' SERGEANT YORK (1941) was an attempt to rouse popular support for America entering the Second…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: COP27 w/ Tina Gerhardt
Tina Gerhardt discusses the COP27 climate conference. Lyle Jeremy Rubin, author of Pain Is Weakness Leaving the Body, speaks about connections between…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: War Report w/ Jeremy Bigwood
Suzi talks to Jeremy Bigwood, investigative journalist, researcher, and photojournalist, about his observations and perceptions of Russia, where he has been…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: The "Woke Mob" Made Them MAGA?
Featuring Daniel Denvir on the Citations Needed podcast (as guest, not host) debunking the argument that "woke mobs" (liberal or left identity politics) drove…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Jonathan Wilson on Football, Money, and Power
The World Cup is beginning this week in Qatar. The biggest sporting event on the planet is taking place this year under a hail of controversy. The process that…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Election Debrief w/ Jodi Dean
Jodi Dean analyzes the political landscape in the wake of last week’s election. Tobias Hübinette, author of a recent Boston Review article, discusses the role…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Iran, 1997-2022. Reform, Reaction, and Crisis
Featuring Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi and Golnar Nikpour on the history of modern Iran. This is the fifth and final episode in what is now a FIVE-part series…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Iran, 1979-1997. Islamic Republic, War, and Thermidor
Featuring Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi and Golnar Nikpour on the history of modern Iran. This is the fourth episode in what is now a FIVE-part series. We pick…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Bibi's Return w/ Joel Schalit
Joel Schalit on the return of Bibi Netanyahu in Israel, now in coalition with the religious right. Mohammad Salemy on the tripartite structure of the Islamic…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: The Silent Majority
We finally felt lucky enough to discuss the granddaddy of right-wing law-and-order movies, DIRTY HARRY (1971). One thing is for certain: this is one cop who…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Elections in Brazil & Protests in Iran
Political economist Alfredo Saad-Filho discusses the Brazilian elections. Then, Mina Khani and Mohammad Salemy look at the ongoing, women-led uprising in Iran…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Iran, 1953-1979. From the Shah to Islamic Revolution
Featuring Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi and Golnar Nikpour on the history of modern Iran. This is the third episode in our four-part series. We pick up in the…
Jacobin RadioLong Reads: Aaron Benanav on Automation and the Long Downturn
Science fiction has traditionally depicted a robot takeover as a conscious bid for global domination by our mechanical offspring. From The Terminator to The…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Decision Points
Adam McKay's VICE (2018) sought to give Dick Cheney the full reckoning for his crimes through art that he will never receive in life. Is the film necessary…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Iran, 1941-1953. Tudeh, Mosaddegh, Oil, and the CIA-MI6 Coup
Featuring Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi and Golnar Nikpour on the history of modern Iran. This is the second episode in our four-part series. We begin in 1941…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: The New New Left w/ Raina Lipsitz
Jamieson Webster, author of a recent opinion piece in the Times, examines what severe psychological distress among adolescents is telling us about American…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: The Long War in Ukraine
Suzi talks to Michael Cox, Cold War and International Relations expert, about his forthcoming article in Critique, “In the shadow of the Russian revolution…
Jacobin RadioMichael and Us: Head, Hand, Heart
In a distant future, a privileged ruling class lives in a city fueled by an invisible army of workers who toil in barbaric conditions. Yes, this is the…
Jacobin RadioThe Dig: Iran, 1906-1941 w/ Eskandar Sadeghi & Golnar Nikpour
This episode is the first in a four-part series on the history of modern Iran, from 1906 through the present. This episode covers the period from 1906 until…
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Saudi Oil w/ Annelle Sheline
Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute explains why Saudi Arabia cut its oil production dramatically. James Meadway, former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour…
Jacobin RadioJacobin Show: A Bigger, Better Left w/ Jane McAlevey
This is sadly our final episode of the Jacobin Show. We're joined by labor organizer and author Jane McAlevey to discuss the state of the labor movement and…